


Bit by Bit

by mamamittens



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Gaster does something?, Now Sans has to fix the Human, Well - Freeform, and Time Travel, oh dear..., prepare for feels
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-31
Updated: 2016-09-17
Packaged: 2018-08-12 03:26:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 1,884
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7918624
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mamamittens/pseuds/mamamittens
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>So, this is more of a character study than anything else. I'm aware that Determination itself isn't necessarily comprised of each other trait, but i'm building up to a thing here. So, it's going to be quite short, especially for my usual story length. The basic premise of this was the question "How can each of the other Soul traits be corrupted? Enough that they wouldn't be able to do a Pacifist Run, which, when added altogether, creates a Genocide Run."</p><p>So, feel free to request a particular trait next, and maybe your own thoughts on the matter! I hope you enjoyed this little chapter!</p>
        </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

            Sans was exhausted. He had every right to be _bone tired_ by now. How many times would this make? How many times has he personally shattered the human’s Soul in this damn hallway? No amount of talking or ‘second chances’ would change their mind. They were set in carving a path of dust through the underground with no remorse. And Sans… well, what other choice did he have but to try and make it right? For him…

_A dusty red scarf lying in the snow…_

**Keep fighting.**

Another volley of bones with so little damage rendered and a quick side-step. For them…

_Fleeing Monsters everywhere… the underground was growing quiet._

**He can’t dodge forever.**

            But at the end of the day… he was only really good at one thing.

_Shattered teacups, broken spears, and a broken robot lie cold on the ground where they fell._

            “That’s right… _nothing_ is my special attack…” Everything felt so rehearsed… even the slow creeping of very real exhaustion causing him to slip away. Instinct led him to dodge the first strike, but he never could dodge the second slice of the knife. He heard fabric begin to tear as his eyes fixed to a distant point down the hallway where he swore, every time he died, Papyrus would briefly appear. For several long moment, he stared. Waiting. Then he realized that nothing was moving. Not the jagged brown hair of the human, the sharp knife just barely touching his collar bone, and not even the distinctly red eyes of the human. Static roared in his skull.

            “ ~~I believe that is enough. It’s time to fix this dreadful cycle…~~ ” He couldn’t place the jolting voice as the red Soul before him shattered into six different pieces, “ ~~A human Soul can take on seven different colors, Sans. Determination is the culmination of the other six. Fix them, Sans, and you will get your happy ending… Everyone will~~ …” The world dissolved into darkness as glowing white letters appeared before him.

**Healed: 0/6**

**Continue?**

**Yes <**

**No**


	2. Patience as a Virtue is...

            Just beyond his options were six frozen figures. Each with identical faces and expressions. They were a single color each and had different items equipped. He recognized the connection between color and the items. Oddly, he didn’t see a red human with stick and used bandages or a real knife and locket. But, he supposed that each of these figures made up the human in all their Determination. How does he chose?

            He looked towards the one that most resembled the human he had just fought, bathed in light blue. They held a knife up, poised to strike with a familiar grin that he knew well. His choice was made…

            Suddenly, blue. Everything was blue. Well, light blue to be specific. At first, Sans wasn’t sure what he was supposed to be looking at, but then his eyes adjusted. Distantly, he heard leaves crackling. Upon looking down, he realized that the ground was covered in red leaves and dust. The dust of fallen monsters rolled around him like a sentient fog, reminding him of why he was here. When he looked up, he saw them. The Fallen Human.

            They seemed to be cast in a pale neon blue light, catching in the faded ribbon tied in their hair and on the fake knife in their hand. But the lighting did not diminish the bright red glint in their eyes as they grinned.

            “I am Patience. I will be free from here… all I need, is _time_.” An airy voice spoke liltingly, followed by a soft giggle. The human circled him.

            “Now… exactly what am I supposed to do? Talk sense into a **murderer**?” They paused, their head tilted slightly as something crossed that ever present grin.

            “Tsk.” They said, “What a sore loser. They were simply… in my way… and I had all the time in the world.” Something in that statement pissed him off.

            “Patience my bony ass!” Sans spat, “Don’t try and act as though the genocidal slaughter was an act of _calm_ and _pristine_ patience! It’s a child’s tantrum at the _oh so terrible inconvenience of having to talk to monsters_!” He roared. He took a breath and tried to regain his cool.

            “I don’t want to hear that from _you_!” They snarled viciously, “The _lazy-bones brother_! Oh, but wait… you’re not really a brother anymore, are you?” He didn’t even think before sending a volley of bones at the human, each one just barely missing.

            “If you’re a virtue, I can see why you’re a good for nothing _murderer_!” Sans shouted, somehow incredibly pissed at the lack of damage to either the human or the environment.

            “I WILL WAIT, SANS!” They shouted, running towards him with the knife poised to strike. He dodged and grabbed their wrist until the dropped the knife, manipulating the limb until their arm was behind their back.

            “Wait for what, murderer?” He snarled into their ear, almost surprised at how easily he disarmed them… then again, this was only one sixth of the Soul he usually fought. But they didn’t say anything, just snarled against his hold for several long moments, “What could you possibly be waiting for that murder doesn’t bother you?” It took him a moment to realize that the struggles were losing their heat. It seemed more like… sobs than weak thrashing.

            “…For it to be safe. That’s all I want… _to be safe_.” Their knees seemed to give out, “B-But waiting never helped! Monsters always came up to me, willing to fight! I-I couldn’t just stand there! _Waiting_! S-So, I took matters into my own hands and killed it! No waiting for M-Mom to come save me!” Suddenly, Sans didn’t want to be here. Comforting a _dirty brother-killer_. But… what choice did he have? If he wanted that Happy Ending that he just _knew_ existed, despite never seeing it, he needed to swallow his bitter anger against the human… who was just a child in the end. At the very least, his brother deserved better.

            “Kid… Patience doesn’t mean _do nothing_. It’s just… waiting without a negative reaction. M-Murder isn’t the answer, kiddo. You’d think your mom would have told you that…” The leaves started to swirl around his feet and he no longer felt the need to hold onto the human. They slumped to the ground, sobbing furiously.

            “S-She did… but I didn’t listen. I wasn’t _Patient_ …” The pale blue lighting started to dim, darkness closing around them, “B-But I can do better… I can _wait_. No matter what it takes…” and darkness engulfed them.

**Healed: 1/6**

**Continue?**

**Yes**

**No**

            The light blue figure had changed, ruby eyes closed and a peaceful smile on their down-turned face, the knife now resting against their side. Somehow, he knew that, if he were to battle them, they would wait for the perfect opportunity. They might still strike, but no longer without thought. He couldn’t ask for much more than that…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this is more of a character study than anything else. I'm aware that Determination itself isn't necessarily comprised of each other trait, but i'm building up to a thing here. So, it's going to be quite short, especially for my usual story length. The basic premise of this was the question "How can each of the other Soul traits be corrupted? Enough that they wouldn't be able to do a Pacifist Run, which, when added altogether, creates a Genocide Run."
> 
> So, feel free to request a particular trait next, and maybe your own thoughts on the matter! I hope you enjoyed this little chapter!


	3. Bravery Means...

            He wasn’t sure who to choose now… obviously, he had five more options but if they were anything like Patience was…

            In the end, his eyes drifted towards the human with their fists up, clad in orange light. And just like last time, his entire world was engulfed with orange. The strong color almost reminded him of his brother, but eventually it faded away for a cold white landscape, gray dust swirling like fog but somehow lighter than before. _Snowdin_?

            He was so lost in his thoughts he almost didn’t notice the orange fist aiming for his head. But he did, bending his body back just enough to dodge. He looked over to the human, their brown hair tied to their head by an orange bandana with goofy abs drawn on it. Their face looked almost exactly like last time, only now, their cheeks weren’t a bright red anymore.

            “So… what’s your spiel?” He asked, wanting to get this over with quickly. The human frowned and jabbed at him with their other fist. This time, they didn’t even get _close_. It was almost like fighting them in the hallway with that burning Determination, but weaker somehow and without a knife.

            “Shut up! I won’t be stopped!” There was definitely that drive to continue, no matter the consequences, he noted. He settled for silence, something told him that this particular ‘virtue’ wouldn’t be able to stop talking to save their life, and he was right, “I am Bravery and no matter what, I won’t stop!” Bitterness welled up inside him. That drive… it almost reminded him of Papyrus, but maybe that was the environment, and not the crazy human.

            “Stop lying to yourself, kid. This ain’t being brave. This is the actions of a _coward_.” He baited, not wanting to feel so emotionally exhausted by the end like with Patience. The human practically growled at him and started an endless flurry of punches that never hit.

            “I am not a coward!” Sans noted the human seemed to be flagging, their breathing getting heavy. He reached out and grabbed their fist, pulling the human off balance and making them fall. Before they could stand up, Sans planted a foot onto their back, putting just enough pressure to keep them down, but nothing more.

            “This isn’t being brave kid. Life isn’t like those stories where you slay the scary monsters and get the princess and it’s happily ever after for you. _We’re_ not _beasts_ , kid. They didn’t deserve to be slaughtered. Patience was scared, what’s your excuse?” He asked bluntly. The human stopped struggling and looked over their shoulder at him through the dust. That look…

            “I-I’m not a coward… I can’t stop.” Tears rolled down their face. _That’s the look of a scared little kid…_

            “Bravery doesn’t mean hurting innocent lives, kid. Lives like my brother’s… I _told_ you he was harmless but you… you killed him anyway.” Sans whispered, though he knew the human could hear him regardless.

            “…What else was I supposed to do? Every monster I met wanted to fight me…” They whispered.

            “Use Mercy kid. Violence isn’t the answer, it’s the problem that never stops where it starts.” Sans said, lifting his foot off of the kid’s back before offering his hand, “Didn’t you ever realize that, maybe, they were scared too? I’m not saying we’re perfect, kid. I’m just saying… not everything is straight forward.” Slowly, the kid rolled over and looked at his hand, eyes glistening with tears.

            “…S-Someone who’s brave would… own up to their mistakes, wouldn’t they? They’d do what was right, even if it was scary or hard?” Sans nodded. The human grinned, closing their eyes and accepting his hand, “G-Guess I should give it an honest try, shouldn’t I?” they asked as the world faded into that strange black void.

**Healed: 2/6**

**Continue?**

**Yes**

**No**

            The orange human was standing in a relaxed position now, their fists loosely clenched by their sides and a soft expression on their face. Now, Sans was sure that they would try for peace, might even accomplish it too, but they wore those gloves for a reason and weren’t afraid to use them… And honestly, he really couldn’t ask for more from a kid. After constant genocide, just the chance of peace eased his chest, bit by bit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short, but it was meant to be that. Just a small semi-philosophical debate to myself and gee... i'm starting to see a trend here as to their motivation. Weird. Anyway, can't believe it's been a year for Undertale now, how crazy is that? A whole year... just... wow. And thanks for being with me for all this, really. I mean that. Anyway, If you guys want to see a particular Virtue come up next, feel free to request. Any questions, just ask.
> 
> Oh, and I hope you guys enjoyed this short chapter. Trust me, this isn't the end to the feels. Just a small... reprieve, since Sans is basically shooting through all this in one go.

**Author's Note:**

> Just a small thing for fun. And pain, probably. I'll try to avoid specific past events. More like, the feeling of each aspect getting corrupted and sort of why. So, which aspect should be first, I wonder?


End file.
